Access to verb bias and plausibility information during syntactic processing in adult Spanish-English bilinguals.

ABSTRACT: In two experiments, we examine how proficient second language speakers integrate verb bias and plausibility information during online sentence comprehension. Spanish-English speakers and native English speakers read sentences in English in which a post-verbal noun phrase (NP) could be interpreted as a direct object or a sentential subject. To examine the role of verb bias, the post-verbal NP was preceded by a verb that is preferentially followed by a direct object (DO-bias verbs) or a sentential complement (SC-bias verbs). To assess the role of plausibility, the semantic fit between the verb and the post-verbal NP was either congruent or incongruent with the direct object interpretation. The results show that both second language speakers and native speakers used verb bias information to a

SUBMITTER: Roman P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9216207 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature